Mark Ruffalo has revealed that Marvel boss Kevin Feige almost quit his job over lack of representation.
Speaking to The Independent, Avengers: Endgame star Mark said Kevin told him he was willing to take a stand on the issue back in 2012.
The actor shared the story after being asked about Marvel’s historic lack of LGBTQI+ representation.
Mark explained: ‘When we did the first Avengers, Kevin Feige told me, “Listen, I might not be here tomorrow.”
‘And he’s like, “Ike [Perlmutter, Disney’s largest shareholder at the time] does not believe that anyone will go to a female-starring super movie.” So if I am still here tomorrow you will know that I won that battle.’
We’re guessing the conversation went well!
‘That was the turning point for Marvel,’ Ruffalo added. ‘Because Kevin wanted black superheroes, women superheroes, LGBT superheroes. He changed the whole Marvel universe.
‘We now have gay superheroes, we have black superheroes, we have female superheroes – Scarlett Johansson has her movie coming out, we have Captain Marvel, they are doing She Hulk next. No other studio is being that forwardly inclusive on that level.
‘They have to, though. This is the f***ing world. The culture is way ahead of the politics.’
Well said, Mark.
The actor himself has a history of picking projects featuring strong LGBTQI+ themes, from 2015’s A Normal Heart to 2010’s The Kids Are All Right.
Kevin, meanwhile, served as a producer on last year’s Avengers: Endgame, the highest-grossing movie of all time. Mark appeared in the movie as Hulk.
Another of Marvel’s recent successes is 2019’s female-led superhero movie Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson.
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